Ventilating apparatus for refrigerators.



1 PatentdApr. 24, |900. .l. HERREL. 'VENTILATING APPARATUSVFOB BEFRIGERATURS.

(Application tiled Feb. 5, 1900.)

(No Model.)

In 'venan Nrrnn STATES ATENT Prion.

JOHN ,I-IERREL, or cINcINNATI, oI-Iro.

VENTILATING APPARATUS FOR REFRIGERATORS.

SPECIFICATIO forming part of Letters Patent No. 648,205, dated April 24, 1900.

` Application filed February 5, 1900. Serial No. 3,946. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern:

Beit known that I, JOHN HERREL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oincinnati,in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio,have invented certain 'new and usefulImprovements in Automatic Ventilating Apparatus for Refrigerators, of which the followingis a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to thev accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification. A

My invention relates to an apparatus for automatically opening and closing onel orr av series of valves discharging from the top of a 4refrigerating room or chamber in a cold-storage system or in an ordinary refrigerator,- the apparatus being controlled bya low of y water either from the melting ofthe ice used' for refrigeration or where the system is one of brine and ammonia pipes from a constant and regulated flow of water from any other suitable source of water-supply; and it has vfor its object theprovision of simple and efficient means for effecting the discharge of the Warmer air from the upper part of the refrigerating chamber at intervals determined Where ice is used upon the rapidity of its melting and Where a brine-.ammonia system l is used upon the vtervnperature ofthe upper part of the refrigerating-chamber.

The novelty of my invention will behere` inafter set forth, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure@ is a sectional elevation of so much of a coldstorage house as is necessary to indicate the location of the parts embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail side elevation of the actuating mechanism by which the Warm-air-discharging valves are regulated. The same letters of reference areused yto indicate identical parts in all the figures,

Sln Fig.l is shown a very simple form of a double-compartment cold-storage house or refrigerator, in which A is the upper compartment for the storing of the ice B, which rests upon a floor or division-wallnC, forming the roof of the refrigerating-compartment D. E

is a top compartment under the roof fromwhich a ventilator F opens. Y All of these parts may be of the usual or'any suitable construction. p

lVithin the refrigeratingfchamber D, near its upper end and conveniently located on one side of the wall, is a frame a, Fig. 2, normally I horizontal and pivoted, as at b.- To this frame are secured two buckets c d,which are adjustable toward and from the center of the frame by means ofthumb-screws @,pas'sedl through slots f in the'horizontal arm of the frame.y Extending upward from the frame a is a vertical arm g, carryingtwo spouts h z', the formerfdischarging into the bucket c and the latter into the bucket d. the framel on' one side is alatch -piece j, normally engaging with a pivoted latch` 7c, which in'this instance is pivoted to'a slide in guides Z though any other suitable form of Extending from latch might be employed. `vThe function of this latch-piece j and latchkl jis to hold vthe buckets normally level or in theposition of thesolid lines of Fig. .2 until-such time as the bucket c has received sufficient water to overweightl the parts and canse the tilting of the buckets and frame a.

isfreedfrom the latch 7c and the bucket c is discharged of its Water. *Theflatch .at once drops back toits former position and the parts are in the position shownby the dotted lines, Fig. 2, and then'the opposite bucket d begins to receive water until it'becomes overweighted and causes the parts to tilt in the opposite direction to discharge the bucket o, whereupony the latch-piece j again swings under and becomes engaged .with the latch k, as will be readily'understood.

This tiltingraisesk Vthe latch 7c and its slide until the armor piecej Extending u p from thelatch-piecej or any l suitable part of the frame a through a space n, Fig. l, opening from the top of the refrigerating-chamber D and discharging into the chamber E, is a cordor wire m, connected to a lever o onta rock-shaftp, to which is secured a series of valves fr, coveringa series of openings s inthe top Wallvof the passage fn. It is preferable that passage n should occupy one side of the refrigerating and ice chambers, so that when the valves r, which extend at intervals the entire length of such sides, are open they may discharge the Warm airfrom the top of the refrigerating-chamber into the space E above the ice-chamber.

In Fig. l, G is a trough for conducting the Water of the melted ice into a'discharge-nozzle w, `directly above the spout h,vwl,1ich receives it and conveys it into the bucket c, where it gradually accumulates until its preponderating weight tilts the frame `@raises the latch-piece 7' untilit clears'and is released 1 COy from the latch 7.5, whereupon the valves r, being released and acting by their own gravity, drop to the position shown by the dotted lines of Fig. 2 and open the passage-ways s to permit the escape of the Warm air from the top of the refrigerating-chamber up into the chamber E. The moment the frame a is tilted by the descent of the loaded bucket c the contents of said bucket are discharged into a suitable receiver I-I, which carries oft' the water through any convenient outlet, as a pipe y. The frame,with its buckets, now occupies the position shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 2 and the nozzle w wfll discharge its Water into the spout t', thus conveying it to the bucket d, which when the latter has become sufficiently iilled will overbalance the frame l a and restore the parts to the position shown by the solid lines of Fig. 2, the bucket d being emptied by the tilting movement and the latch-piecej beingrengaged by the latch 7c. Thus it will be seen I have provided a very simple automatic means for opening and closing the valves r at intervals, dependent upon the speed with which the ice in the chamber A melts, for of course it will be` understood that when the latch-piece j ren gages the latch k the valves will be thereby closed. l Again, as seen in Fig. V2, I have illustrated by dotted lines a means of actuating the buckets from `a constant source of water-supply other than that from the melting of ice,which will be found useful in cold-storage plants, where brine and ammonia pipes are em ployed. Here I have put a cock a' in the nozzle w, controlled by a rod or arm leading to any suitable thermostat b' near the top of the refrigerating-charnber in such manner thatthe thermostat, which may be of the usual or any suitable construction, will open or 'close the cockto a greater or less extent, regulated by the temperature ot the top of the refrigerating-chamber, and in this case of course the water-supply may be taken from any suitable source, as from la hydrant.

It is to be observed that by means ofthe slots f and thumb-screws e therbuckets c d may be independently adjusted to or from the pivotal point to suit the bestrequirements of action of the apparatus-that is to'say, they may be so adjusted that the valves will open and remain open a longer or shorter period of time, according as the adjustment is made, which will be readily understood.

Having thus fully described my invention, I clai1n- V1l. In Ventilating apparatus for refrigerators, the combination of a source of watersupply, a pair of water-receptacles connected pivoted and arranged to tilt simultaneously and into which the Water from the source of water-supply can be directed alternately, a valve-outlet from the top of the refrigeratingchamber containing one or a series ot coacting valves, latch mechanism coacting with a pair of water-receptacles, and a connection between said water-receptacles and valve or valves, whereby when the receptacles are tilted in one direction the valve or valves are opened, and whereby when they are tilted in the opposite direction the valve or valves are closed, substantially as described.

2. In ventilating apparatus for refrigerators, the combination of a source of watersnpply, a pair ofadjustable water-receptacles connected pivoted and arranged to tilt simultaneously and into which the water from the source of water-supply can be directed alternately, a valve-outlet from the top of the refrigerating-chamber containing one or a series of coacting valves, latch mechanism coacting with the pair of water-receptacles, and a connection between said water-receptacles and the valve or valves, whereby'when the receptacles are tilted in one direction the valve or valves are opened, and whereby when they are tilted in the opposite direction the valve or valves are closed, substantially as described.

In Ventilating apparatus for refrigerators, the combination of a source of watersupply, an automatic governor therefor, a pair of water-receptacles connected pivoted and arranged to tilt simultaneously and into which the water from the source of Watersupply can bedirected alternately, a valveoutlet from the top of the refrigerating-chamber containing one or a series of coacting valves, latch mechanism coacting with the parof water-receptacles, and a connection between said water-receptacles and the valve or valves, whereby when the-receptacles are tilted in one direction the valve or valves are opened, and whereby when they-are-tilted in the opposite direction thevalve or valves are closed, substantially as described.

4. In Ventilating apparatus for refrigerators of the character described, the combination of the frame a, buckets c d adj ustably secured thereto, `means for conveying water into said buckets alternately, the latch-army', the pivoted latch 7c, vthe vent-passage n, the series of valves r covering openings s in the top of said vent-passage, and the connecting rod or cord m between the valves fr and the latchpiece j, substantially as described.

5. In Ventilating apparatus for refrigerators of the character described, the combination of the frame a, buckets c d adj ustably secured thereto, means for conveying water into said buckets alternately, the latch-army', the pivoted latch 7c, the -vent-passage n extending from the refrigerating-chamber to the chamber E, the collecting-chamber d above the ice-chamber opening into the chamber n near its top, the series of valves r covering openings f in the top of said vent-passage, and the connecting rod or cord m between the valves r and the latch-piecejj, substantially as described.

JOHN H ERREL.

Witnesses:

GEORGE S. BAILY, THEO. REIS.

IIO

`IIS 

